Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Accusations of Doping Cloud Rio Games; Erdogan, Putin Meet; 2016 Olymipcs Will be Usain Bolt's Last; AirBNB's Impact at Olympic Games; UAE Figureskater Breaking Taboos; One Square Meter: Punta del Este, Uruguay. 11:00a-12:00p ET
Aired August 09, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[11:00:37] MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As plunged in a fireball, relations between Moscow and Ankara also crashed in
flames.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LYNDA KINKADE, HOST: Today in St. Petersburg, reconciliation is underway. Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan hope to repair damaged
ties. We'll have live reports from Russia and Turkey.
Also ahead...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 50 Republican national security officials warning in an open letter that Trump is unqualified to be
commander-in-chief.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Donald Trump tries to reset his campaign after a rough patch, but the hits keep coming. An update on the state of the race.
Plus, the Japanese men's gymnastics grabs gold, Australian women win the rugby sevens, and the United States dominates in the pool: all the
highlights from the Olympic games coming up.
We begin with a meeting of two strongmen leaders and an effort to reset their relationship.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in St. Petersburg rekindling ties with Russia. Those ties have been strained since the downing of a
Russian jet over Syria in November last year. That of course provoked a furious response from Russian President Vladimir Putin. But after months
of tension and tough talk that at times got intensely personal, the mood today was conciliatory.
Senior international correspondent Matthew Chance is in St. Petersburg while senior international correspondent Arwa Damon is following the story
for us from Istanbul.
Great to have you both with us.
Matthew, first to you, President Putin, of course, spoke about how the relationship had degraded after Turkey shot down that Russian fighter jet.
But today they were talking very much about a renewal of that relationship?
DAMON: I mean, yeah, it's been a diplomatic back flip that really both of the leaders performed over the course of the past few weeks,
really, since this detante really started to gather momentum.
Remember, just a couple of weeks ago shortly after the plane was shot down by Turkish interceptors near the Turkish-Syria border, Vladimir Putin
was absolutely furious. He appeared on Russian state television saying it was a stab in the back by the
accomplices of terrorists, referring of course to the Turks and to their leader President Erdogan.
He also then placed very serious and tough sanctions on Turkey, banning charter flights to the
country, stopping effectively Russian tourists from going to resorts there, banning food imports from Turkey. Imports went down something in the
region of 60 percent from Turkey to Russia. And so there were really serious consequences.
Now there's been a kind of apology. A month ago or so this came through. President Erdogan expressed regret for the death of the pilot who
was killed on board that Russian warplane after it was shot down. And that was politically sufficient, it seems, for Vladimir Putin to do an about
face and to start the process of renewing those ties again.
And so it's been a really important day from that regard. It's also been an important day in terms of the message that this meeting sends. It
comes, of course, just a few weeks after the attempted coup inside Turkey. There is a great deal of concern that Turkey may be turning its back on the
west and moving more geopolitically wards Russia. And the symbolism of today's meeting, which was very friendly, won't be lost on Turkey's NATO
allies.
KINKADE: Absolutely. I wanted to raise that with Arwa, actually.
Arwa, President Erdogan did speak about this positive phase in the relationship several times calling President Putin a dear friend, noting
that he was the first to call to offer support after that failed coup.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And that is something, Lynda, that has really resonating with the president, and also with a good
sector of the population who do feel as if since this failed coup attempt took place, the west, United States, Europe has been focusing all too much
on criticizing Turkey's actions, these widespread detentions of individuals suspected of being linked to the coup, others who have been suspended from
their various jobs as opposed to actually supporting or appreciating what it is that Turkey is currently going through.
And then they look at Russia, the president coming out and pretty much immediately offering support to President Erdogan. And perhaps more
importantly -- and this is something we are hearing repeated over and over again by the president himself, but by various different media outlets,
Russia is not criticizing Turkey.
And so you have Turkey looking around at these nations that consider themselves to be Turkey's
allies, the west, who don't seem to be speaking as if they are necessarily friendly. And then Russia, with which Turkey was at odds up until very
recently actually saying things that Turkey at this point in time really wants and needs to hear. And the difference is quite stark and not lost on
anyone.
KINKADE: Yeah, it certainly isn't.
And just back to Matthew. You mentioned some of the sanctions that were placed on Turkey in the wake of that downing of the jet. Just tell us
about the renewed trade talks they have both been speaking about.
[11:06:15] CHANCE: Yeah, there were no deals done today. This was more of an opportunity for the two leaders to publicly show that there was
a real detante underway, that they were really kind of -- to put the bitterness of the past eight months behind them.
But already there are talks underway and some measures already implement -- lifting the ban, for instance, on Turkish workers, lifting the
embargo on foodstuffs coming from Turkey, that's a discussion that still has to be had.
But it was spelled out by Vladimir putin today, the Russian president, that that was his intention, to make sure that trade relationship turned in
his words, back to pre-crisis levels.
Also the much more serious, much more lucrative from a Russian point of view, infrastructure
projects that are already in the offing before the shoot down of the Russian plane, and are now back on the table again. First and foremost,
the Turkstream pipeline. This is a major project to carry Russian natural gas through Turkey to customers in southern Europe.
It is a multibillion dollar project, obviously, very lucrative for both countries. That's now going to be restarted again, potentially. Also
a project to build Turkey's first nuclear reactor using Russian know-how and Russian technology is something that will be back on the table again.
And so this relationship, which has been suspended, as I say, for the past eight months is extremely lucrative. It's worth billions of dollars.
And both countries with their fragile economies want to see it restarted again. They simply can't afford to let this relationship continue to
deteriorate.
KINKADE: Yeah, they certainly have a lot to gain on both sides.
Just to Arwa, they do oppose when it comes to Syria, they are quite on opposite sides of the war. Any chance they will find some common ground
when it comes to fighting terrorism there?
DAMON: That's always really interesting, Lynda. None of them really spoke about Syria. And basically, syria is going to be an issue that will
be addressed, or will be addressed after this press conference. And it is really as if both leaders are compartmentalizing the various different
issues that they have to deal with as nations.
On the one hand, you have the trade, the economy, they can all agree on that. It needs to get moving, it needs to get better. And other hand,
aside from this broad statement that they both agreed that terrorism needs to be combated and that they both agreed that it is of utmost importance,
no one is really talking about the details of one of the main issues here. And that is this horrendous war in
Syria that sees Russia firmly opposing the opposition and supporting Bashar al-Assad. And Turkey completely on the other side of it at this stage.
How can they are going to reconcile that? Are they going to reconcile that? We don't really know, and it's very difficult to see how they would
because both countries can't really walk back their positions given how polarized those two players that they're backing are within the Syrian
battlefield. And of course as we know only too well by now the cost to the civilian population, the ongoing cost is truly astronomical, beyond
anything that most of us have actually seen.
KINKADE: Yeah, certainly is. Arwa Damon for us in Istanbul, Matthew Chance for us in Moscow. Great to have you both with us. Thank you.
Well, it's day four of the Olympics Summer Games in Rio. 15 gold medals are up for grabs
in nine different events today. Let's look at where things stand right now. Well, the U.S. and China are leading the pack with five gold medals
each, that's followed by Australia with four gold medals. And Italy, Japan, and Hungary round out the top six.
Well, team USA picked up four of its five gold medals in the pool, where there's quite a rivalry playing out with Russia. Coy Wire joins me
now now from Rio with more on that. And Coy, the doping scandal is certainly not going away. Even an American gold medal winning swimmer took
a swipe at a drug cheats, in particular her Russian opponent.
COY WIRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You've got it, Lynda . This tension building up to this race was palpable. They were both taking swipes at
each other. American Lilly King calling out Russian Yuliya Efimova, a two- time doping violator, has been caught. And she is still allowed to compete in these Olympics despite the whole state backed Russian doping scandal.
So, they are finger waving at each other. They are glaring at each other in the preliminaries, leading up to the finals, which was last night.
They go into this race, and 19-year-old Lilly King, goes ahead and breaks an Olympic record in the process of smacking down her
rival Efimova from Russia, an incredible feat for the 19-year-old, her first gold medal of her career -- Lynda.
[11:11:11] KINKADE: Yeah, certainly incredible.
And another big day ahead. 15 gold medals up for grabs. What should we look out for today?
WIRE: I think we are going to be looking more in the pool yet again. First of all, you have Michael Phelps going into the final of the
200 meter butterfly. He is going up against a rival of his own, Chad Le Clos of South Africa. These two are heated rivals. It goes back to 2012
when Le Clos beat Phelps in that event. There was a death stare moment from Michael Phelps last night in the preliminaries when Le Clos was
throwing air punches in Phelps direction and it was the rave of the internet, that moment right there. That final is tonight. So, that's one
to keep your eye on.
Also, Katie Ledecky in the 200 meter free style. She is not going to win by as much if she does win that she did the other night when she broke
an Olympic record by nearly -- world record by nearly two seconds. But keep an eye out for her, she is tearing up the pool here in Rio, and also
the U.S. women's gymnastics. A lot of hype surrounding this. They are saying they are the new fierce five. They're led by Simone Biles, a 19-
year-old who they are already saying, Lynda, is the greatest gymnast of all time.
KINKADE: Yeah, certainly another big day of action. And Coy, would be remiss of me to let you go without mentioning the rugby. First time
it's in the Olympics. And my Aussies brought it home.
WIRE: That's right.
It's interesting we are talking about this story, Ms. Kinkade, being an Australian yourself. But you have rugby back in the Olympics for the
first time since 1924. And yes, your Australians get it done.
Let's talk about the back story going into this. New Zealand, the team they were facing, gave some paper poison, if you will, a coach for New
Zealand called the Aussies out, said they don't like the mental game. They're not mentally tough. He said that they don't like the physicality
of it. Well, boy was that the wrong statement to choose. The Aussies come out and absolutely kill it. It was indeed, Lynda, a good day, mate. They
killed it.
Look out for the men's rugby 7s, that's happening today. Fiji there is going to be the favorite.
KINKADE: Could be here. Yeah, our Kiwi manager is certainly not too happy about that outcome. Coy Wire, great to have you with us. Thanks so
much.
Well, other stories on our radar right now. Saudi Arabia's King Salman is ordering the government to intervene over some companies' abuse
against their workers. It appears to be a response to the almost 8,000 Indian construction workers who haven't been paid in months and are
stranded in the kingdom.
Afghan police are searching for an American and an Australian kidnapped in Kabul. Both men are lecturers at the American University of
Afghanistan. The school says it is staying closed until Wednesday. Officials say the two men were forced from their car at gunpoint. A driver
and bodyguard in the same car were not hurt.
Another day of frustration for many Delta passengers. The airline has canceled 250 flights and says 200 others will face delays. On Monday, a
thousand flights were canceled leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded around the world. Delta says a power
outage at a hub in Atlanta caused a major computer failure.
Well, Donald Trump is promising to open a new chapter in American prosperity with newly unveiled economic plan. The Republican presidential
candidate is not only hoping to reset his campaign by focusing on a pocketbook issue, which is important to all Americans, but he is also
making an overture to his party's establishment by adopting key initiatives of congressional Republicans.
Yet despite his efforts, there is new evidence of a Republican revolt. And it's generating exactly the kind of headlines that Trump was hoping to
avoid.
Jason Carroll has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:15:17] JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another prominent Republican coming out this morning against Donald Trump. Maine Senator
Susan Collins penning an op-ed in the "Washington Post" explaining why she cannot vote for her party's nominee. "I've become increasingly dismayed by
his constant stream of cruel comments and his inability to admit error or apologize." This as 50 Republican national security official warning in an
open letter that Trump is unqualified to be commander in chief. The experts who served in Republican administrations from Nixon to George W. Bush
labeling Trump as dangerous, reckless, and lacks the character, values, and experience to be president.
MATTHEW WAXMAN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Our system has produced a candidate who is fundamentally unfit for office.
CARROLL: Trump firing back at those who signed the letter, calling them part of the failed Washington elite who made the world such a
dangerous place.
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to jump start America. And it can be done. And it won't even be that hard.
CARROLL: The GOP nominee unveiling a new economic plan Monday, hoping to reset his campaign after hitting a rough patch since the convention.
TRUMP: She is the candidate of the past. Ours is the campaign of the future.
CARROLL: Trump is revising his tax plan now, calling for three tax brackets with the highest rate being 33 percent for individuals and capping
the corporate tax rate at 15 percent. And in an effort to appeal to working class voters, he hopes to make childcare expenses deductible.
TRUMP: At the center of my plan is trade enforcement with China.
CARROLL: Trump once again called for renegotiating trade deals like the Transpacific Partnership.
TRUMP: A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for TPP.
CARROLL: Wrongly claiming that Hillary Clinton supports it.
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He wants to basically just repackage trickle-down economics.
CARROLL: Clinton slamming Trump's plan, saying there is little in there for the middle class.
CLINTON: Economists left, right, in the middle, all say the same thing, that Trump's policies would throw us into a recession, the last
thing we need.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Still ahead, Israel is accusing another international worker of assisting Hamas. This time a United Nations employee is facing charges.
We'll go live to Jerusalem when we come back.
Also, will Russia and Turkey rebuild their rocky relationship after today's meeting between
their presidents? We'll take a closer look, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:20:18] KINKADE: You are watching CNN. And this is Connect the World with me, Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
Israel says has new evidence that Hamas is siphoning off humanitarian aid. It's meant for Palestinian civilians. Today, it charged United
Nations aid worker with aiding Hamas in Gaza.
Well, for more on this, let's bring in Oren Liebermann who is following the developments from Jerusalem. Oren, firstly, what can you
tell us about the accused?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this investigation focuses around 38-year-old Waheed Abd Bossh. Bossh was a
worker for UNDP, the United National Development Program. And Israel has charged him with using his position with the UN, with the development
program, which is humanitarian aid organization and funneling or directing that aid toward Hamas and Hamas's military wing. The charges in the
indictment sheet say that when it came to rebuilding some of the homes destroyed in the 2014 Gaza War, Bossh would direct that aid
toward areas populated by Hamas members instead of areas populated by Palestinian civilians.
In addition, it says that other aid that was meant to go for humanitarian projects for example, went towards Hamas's military wing.
Israel says that he helped Hamas construct a military jetty in northern Gaza.
So, pretty serious charges. He was arrested in early July and charged today.
KINKADE: And Oren, this of course comes just less than a week after another aid worker was also arrested and charged.
LIEBERMANN: And that is a 38-year-old Mohammed Al Chalabi (ph). Israel's charges against him are much more serious. He worked for World
Vision, a U.S.-based humanitarian aid organization. And in fact worked his way up to be the Gaza director of the
World Vision branch where Israel has accused him of using his position and siphoning millions of
dollars of aid away from humanitarian projects and diverting that towards Hamas's military wing.
Israel says he has been a member of Hamas' military wing since before he started working for World Vision some ten years ago.
Some went to the military wing, some went to build attack tunnels that lead from Gaza into Israel. That is quite an investigation, as you said,
that came out less than a week ago.
Now, Al Chalabi's (ph) father says the charges against him are simply false and that Al Chalabi wasn't a member of any political faction. World
Vision, meanwhile, has said they will cooperate with the investigation, but they also say that they are skeptical of the investigation. Here's why.
Here's a statement from Kevin Jenkins, the CEO of World Vision.
He says if any of these allegations are proven to be true, we will take swift and decisive action. Unfortunately, we still have not seen any
of the evidence. World Vision's cumulative operating budget in Gaza for the past ten years was approximately $22.5 million, which makes the alleged
amount of up to $50 million being diverted hard to reconcile.
Again, a power statement from World Vision. They say they are suspending their humanitarian aid projects in Gaza. Australia, Germany
announcing that they'll suspend their funding of those projects in Gaza until the conclusion of the investigation -- Lynda.
KINKADE: Right, so World Vision has responded. Has there been any response from the United Nations in response to their aid worker who was
charged?
LIEBERMANN: Actually, not yet. We have been in touch with the UN and the UN Development Program. We haven't gotten a statement from them yet.
We are expecting one somewhat soon, hopefully by the end of the evening. And we'll keep you posted on what the UN has to say when that statement
comes out.
KINKADE: Great, we'll come back to you, then. Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. Great to
Well, now to a deadly attack in Pakistan. Funerals have been taking place for more than 70 people killed in a hospital bombing in the
northwestern city of Quetta. Many of them were lawyers and journalists who had gathered at the hospital after a prominent lawyer was
gunned down earlier on Monday.
On Tuesday, thousands of lawyers boycotted courts right across Pakistan to protest the violence.
Michael Holmes reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This morning across Pakistan, the courts of justice were silent as the country's legal
community mourned its dead.
Quetta's lawyers have been mourning one of their own, 41-year-old Bilal Anwar Kassi (ph), the president of Belochistan Bar Association.
Shot dead early Monday, his body was being taken out of the mortuary of the city's civil hospital when a suicide bomber detonated eight
kilograms of explosives. Scenes of Chaos, destruction, and screams of despair followed.
The majority of those dead were lawyers, including several senior advocates, a generation of legal mentors silenced.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): No crime against humanity compares to this. It's very tragic. Our seniors who were intellectuals
have been killed and may god reward them in heaven.
[11:25:03] HOLMES: Pakistan's lawyers are protesting nationwide, taking to the streets, holding vigils, making their voices heard, sometimes
by silence.
In solidarity with the victims, this morning the halls of Pakistan's supreme court were empty, the chief justice absent, participating in the
strike. Shops were closed, their windows clamped shut, as Quetta's residents grieved and tended to survivors.
That attack also targeted journalists and doctors, individuals mainly from Pakistan's tiny middle class, their lives now cut brutally short.
25-year-old cameraman Mehmoud Hassan among them, a father of four who had worked his way up from a security guard at a local channel taking night
classes and sharing dreams of one day appearing on air as a reporter.
As Quetta bleeds, its citizens are unafraid and dauntless.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We strongly condemn the attack. There are those who were trying to destroy our city, our country,
by such actions, but we will not allow to it happen under any circumstances. This is our country. It is our city. It is the duty of
all of us to protect them.
HOLMES: One of the groups that have claimed responsibility for the attack is a splinter group of the Pakistan Taliban, Jamaat-uh-Ahrar, known
for attacking soft targets like churches, mosques, children's parks and now a hospital. A place of healing now a bloody reminder of one of the
deadliest attacks in the country.
Michael Holmes, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, live from the CNN Center, this is Connect the World. Coming up, a handshake that could reverberate across the region. We'll
look at what Russia and Turkey's rekindling of ties means for the middle east.
And Usain Bolt says this will be his last Olympics.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[11:311:07] KINKADE: I want to take you back to our top story this hour: Turkey and Russia mending fences after months of tension. Russian
President Vladimir Putin took care to point out that he was one of the first world leaders to call with a message of support to President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan after the failed coup attempt last month.
It was on July 15 that elements of Turkey's military attempted to seize power. The coup lasted for hours. And when it was over, at least
239 people had been killed, 2,200 injured. Many government buildings, including the Turkish parliament and the presidential palace were damaged.
And following the coup, thousands of military officers were arrested and hundreds of judiciary members were removed. In all, some 22,000 people
have now been arrested or detained.
Well, for more on all fo this, let's bring in Soner Cagaptay with the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute. He joins us now from
our Washington Bureau.
Great to have you with us.
SONER CAGAPTAY, DIR. TURKISH RESEARCH PROGRAM, WASHINGTIN INSTITUTE: It's a pleasure.
KINKADE: Well, as we heard just a short time ago, both leaders, President Erdogan and President Putin, really talking about what they stand
to gain by having a better relationship. Of course things soured when that Russian jet was brought down by Turkey. Turkey was slapped with sanctions.
What impact did those sanctions have on Turkey's economy?
CAGAPTAY: The sanctions were hurting, especially tourism, where the Russians are the largest nationality among the more than 35 million people
that visit Turkey every year. Russian tourist arrival dropped by more than 90 percent. There were also sanctions that were hurting Turkish
businesses. But I think more importantly, Russia is now trying to take advantage of the political environment in Turkey, following the failed coup
of July 15 the mood in Ankara is dark, nervous and angry. This is because not only the country survived an attack on democracy and elected
institutions but also because this probably is the most important political shock that Turkey is witnessing since the
fall of the Ottomman empire at the end of World War I.
The country's capital Ankara was bombed by a faction, a city which has not seen in a military invasion in over 600 years. So the mood in Turkey
is that the Turks are traumatized. And they feel alone, isolated, abandoned by their western allies. And I think this is the opportunity
that Vladimir Putin wants to use as he wants to bring Turkey back to his fold.
This meeting between Erdogan and Putin had been planned earlier, but no surprises should be out of the meeting that Putin will come with a
goodie basket of not only lifting sanctions, but a promising and encouraging even more trade, construction and tourism deals benefiting
President Erdogan's base, but also trying to bring Turkey into Russia's fold.
Russia sees this as major strategic opportunity and will do whatever it takes to bring Turkey into its fold at this time.
KINKADE: Yeah, so both countries can certainly gain financially by having a better relationship. But they are very divided when it comes to
Syria. Can they find common ground tackling terrorism?
CAGAPTAY: That's correct. In fact, the real test of rapproachment is going to be Syria. We will see that there will be talk of economic
cooperation, lifting of sanctions, new deals, maybe even new pipeline deals. All of that, of course, will bring the two countries close once
again.
Remember, trade and economic relations were the bedrock of this relationship before it collapsed over the November incident last year when
Turkey shot down a Russian plane which had violated its air space from Syria. That incident was not an accident, it was emblematic of the deep
divide Turkey and Russia face in Syria where they are fighting a proxy war.
Turkey supports rebels that are targeting the Assad regime, Russia supports the Assad regime that Turkey is trying to undermine and oust.
So, the question is will Turkey dial down it's support for the anti- Assad rebels. That will be a sine qua non of the Assad regime -- of Putin if he wants to normalize -- if President Erdogan wants to normalize with
Russia, he will ask Turkey to dial down its support.
In the past years -- months, rather, I think President Erdogan would not have agreed to dial down its support. But I think now he feels very
much alone and I would say nervous and angry because he survived the coup attack himself, an assassination attempt rather by 15 minutes and he feels
very much under threat by the coup plotters. He sees the Gulen movement, which is run by a cleric based in the United States as the main culprit of
the coup. And he wants the United States to extradite Mr. Gulen, that doesn't seem to be happening. And I think this is why he is going to turn
Mr. Vladimir Putin who has significant influence in republics in central Asia where Gulen movement has a significant base. And he is going to want
Mr. Putin, for example, to shut down -- to use his influence so the central Asian republics will shut down Gulen movement aligned institutions.
And also I think this is an area where Erdogan will want the support - - that Russia's have provided to the Syrian Kurds to come down a notch.
So, we'll really see whether Turkey will come down in its support to the anti-Assad rebels and whether Russia will deliver on the aspect of the
Gulen movement as well as in downgrading its support for the Syrian Kurds.
That would be a perfect marriage of Turkish-Russian relations in Syria. But we'll have to see what both sides do before we get there.
[11:35:22] KINKADE: So given that Fethullah Gulen is based in the U.S., how is that affecting the relationship between Ankara and Washington?
CAGAPTAY: Rather negatively I would say because for once I think there is a growing conspiratorial feel in Ankara that because Mr. Gulen
lives in the United States, therefore the United States is behind the coup.
This is a false and conspiratorial feel, but it is laying roots. Government ministers have gone on media to blame the United States for
complicity behind the coup. This is now a common theme that you see in pro-government media and on social media. So, it's really
spreading.
And I think that is the opportunity that Putin wants to take advantage of. He knows that this is the biggest political shock Turkey is
experiencing since the fall of the Ottoman's empire. The country's capital was bombed, the largest city, Istanbul, of 15 million people, citizens
thought they were bombed the night of the coup because coup plotters flew over the city at low at attitudes and high-speed creating the impression of
sonic booms which if you don't know what they are they thought the city was bombed.
So, this is a trauma. And many are linking the trauma to the Gulen movement. And the fact that he lives in the United States is making the
United States a culprit in their eyes. And this is a perception that the United States has to fight, but at the same time it's the perception that
Vladimir Putin will take advantage of.
We should not be surprised if he offers today or later this week assistance to Turkey against
Gulen movement as well as assistance to Turkey. And I think Erdogan will appreciate the fact that
Vladimir Putin was one of the first heads of state to call him after the coup plot to wish him well. so, that shows us that the relationship is
really coming around after having hit an all-time low following the November 2015 plane incident.
KINKADE: Soner Cagaptay, as always, great to have your analysis.
CAGAPTAY: My pleasure.
KINKADE: Thanks so much.
Well, with the Olympics in full swing, Brazilian police are working to dismantle an international gang of ticket scalpers. Two people were
arrested on Monday accused of scalping Olympic tickets, even selling fake ones. Police say the two suspects
worked for British tickets reseller THG.
Well, Shasta Darlington joins us from Rio with more on all of this. Shasta, always a concern when you hear about scalpers selling tickets at
highly inflated prices. Of course it's illegal in Brazil with the games.
Are authorities really cracking down right now?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, they have vowed all along to make that one of their priorities. Scalping is
traditionally a problem here in Rio de Janeiro. They said they wouldn't let it happen.
And as you mentioned, they weren't just scalping real Olympic tickets, they were also selling fake ones. So they've arrested two people,
including a British citizen. And it really is part of a bigger effort by police to crack down on these international scalping rings. AS up to half
a million foreign tourists are expected to be flocking into Rio over the next few days over
this Olympic period for Olympics that are going to be unique for a couple of different reasons, Lynda. On the one hand, because this is the first
time they're being held in South America, but also because this is the first time that the home sharing company AirBNB is an official sponsor and
that means they're officially providing alternative accommodation. Those visitors aren't necessarily checking in to hotels.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARLINGTON: This is the place to be in Rio de Janeiro if you want to spend at least $500 a night. If you don't, head away from the
beaches to Yada's (ph) house, one of AirBNB's 40,000 listings in the city.
Fresh fruit for breakfast, dorm room beds for $30 a night, and for Yada (ph), a full-time job.
"I used to sell newspapers," she says. "I had a car accident, and while I was recovering, I started surfing the web and got a message that
said, want to be my host?"
Her house, now fully booked during the Summer Games, many of the guests Olympic
volunteers.
"During the games, prices go way up," she says. "So when a place like this opens its doors, it's great, especially in the middle of a prolonged
recession."
AirBNB says its hosts will make about $25 million during the Olympics.
[11:30:47] LEO TRISTAO, AIRBNB COUNTRY MANAGER: These things are spread out
around the city. That means we also are spreading out the economic impact in neighborhoods that are not tourist destinations.
DARLINGTON: The hilltop neighborhood of Santa Teresa may not be close to the Olympic Park, but for those who want to splash out there are some
pretty good options like this vintage chic villa.
Anna Kahn has rented her six bedroom home for the Olympics to a group from Finland for a total of $15,000, income that she says helps support her
as an artist, and single mom while having fun.
ANNA KAHN, AIRBNB HOST: I'm going to make some money, nice money. But you know and then you're going to share, and then you're going to, you
know, party with them, get to know them, get to know lots of people. And that's the beauty.
DARLINGTON: And not a bad backdrop for those post game parties.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DARLINGTON: Now that doesn't mean that these hosts haven't also raised their prices. In fact, the latest Bloomberg survey shows that Rio
is the most expensive city on AirBNB right now, Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. It is good for many people to use AirBNB. But looking at another issue, women's sports, of course, often overlooked in
comparison to their male counterparts. But there is criticism that sexism is coming into play in Rio.
DARLINGTON: That's right, Lynda. I mean, in some ways that's the beauty of social media these sort of throw away comments that might raise
eyebrows are now being shared around and people are talking about them.
So, there has been a lot of backlash on social media to certain comments like NBC saying they needed to edit the opening ceremony because
there would be a lot of female viewers and they expected the ultimate reality show. Well, not a lot of their female viewers agreed with that
comment.
And similarly, when Hungary's iron lady, when she not only won the gold medal, but smashed world records, some commentators were talking about
what a great job her husband did training her, or when they talk about the Team USA female gymnasts looking like they're hanging out in a mall. These
comments don't go down well with a lot of people. And now they have this forum to share those comments and really show that they don't agree with
them.
So, I think we are going to see a lot more of that, people being -- and journalists especially being held accountable for what they say during
these Olympics when it comes to female athletes, Lynda.
That's good. Hopefully the commentary changes somewhat.
But there is some good news for Brazil. The host nation have secured their first gold medal.
DARLINGTON: Exactly. This is a wonderful rags to riches story. Of course, we are talking about Rafaelle Silva. She won the gold medal in
judo exactly four years after she was disqualified in London for an illegal hold, an illegal maneuver. And she suffered racist attacks on social
media. She almost dropped out of the competition altogether. Her family says that really withdrew but she came back and she fought and she's got
this gold medal. So, people across Brazil are celebrating.
But especially in her neighborhood, her home neighborhood here in Rio de Janeiro Favela called Cidaj de Dios (ph), or City of God. You know,
that's where she grew up, where she struggled to become the inspiring athlete that she is today. They are celebrating her. This is just a huge
party for Brazilians, and especially people living in City of God, Lynda.
KINKADE: Yeah, wonderful wonderful news for them. Shasta Darlington, great to have you with us. Thank you.
Well, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is hoping to finish out his Olympic career with a bang in Rio. He's shooting for three gold medals. And start
of the competition is Saturday.
Our Amanda Davies caught up with this star athlete.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
USAIN BOLT, OLYMPIC SPRINTER: I just can't wait to run. It's been boring just sitting
around training all the time. I just want to run, you know what i mean?
I think it's the longest I've ever been in the village. Normally you get in four days before
or five days before, but being here a week now and I'm just excited to run.
DAVIES: Why the difference this time around?
BOLT: I don't know. I don't know why we came in so early. But, as I said, I'm just excited
to run. I just want to go and compete and I'm looking forward to it.
DAVIES: You scared a few people, I think it's fair to say, in London. You didn't necessarily look as comfortable, as easy as you have done in the
past. How worried should people be?
[11:45:06] BOLT: I'm never worried. I think it was the fact that I didn't get to compete in my trials and I was just coming off of an injury.
So you are rusty. And I needed a few runs. I needed some pace work. And after that run, I got a lot of training in and my coach is happy. As long
as my coach is happy I know I'll be fine.
DAVIES: so, prediction time. How is it going to go? 100 meters, what are you going to win?
BOLT: I'm going to win. And I never try to predict times. I avoid that, because you never know.
DAVIES: Can we predict medal color?
BOLT: Definitely. Golds. All three golds. Never anything else for me when it comes nothing different for me when it comes to a championship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: You are watching Connect the World. Still to come...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of women are changing and they don't want to just sit at home and like do nothing. They want to be involved in
sports.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Challenging stereotypes in the Middle East. Meet the woman said to be the UAE's first competive figure skater. That's in our parting
shots in about ten minutes from now.
And we'll take to you to Uruguay where the country is set for an infrastructure boom. That's next on One Square Meter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: It's been the go-to destination for the jet set for years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first impressions I got down here was a little Switzerland in South America.
DEFTERIOS: The Punta del Este, South America's sun seeker paradise, is no longer a secret.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uruguay is very much under the radar. It is, to an alternative for an
investor, as in the last few we see more and more European and Americans coming to Uruguay.
According to the World travel and Tourism Council, the world dollars to the tourism industry is set to grow by 12.2 percent a year over the next
decade bringing with it an estimated 2 million to the country's GDP. This optimism is driving the Brazilian Fasano Group (ph) to expand capacity at
their luxury resort Los Piedros (ph).
UNIDENTIIFED MALE: We are in the highest point of the La Bara region. We have a spa, an equestrian center, an Arnold Palmer golf course.
DEFTERIOS: It is a short distance away from the bustling coastal city. In keeping with glitzy Punta, luxury is very much on offer
throughout these 500 hectares of lush Greenland.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the 60s or 70s we were saying, oh, this will never get developed. It's too far from Punta, and then now it has been
developed and has become such an important get away for Argentineans and Brazilians.
We wanted to make sure that during the high season we would have more rooms to meet the demands. So, we decided to expand and keep the ongoing
structure throughout the years.
[11:50:05] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is getting more and more international, more and more cosmopolitan. We will feel that, you know, we
want to be positioned to capture this.
DEFTERIOS: Those who want to permanently buy in to the lifestyle can. This resort ranch comes with a roughly $6 million price tag where you can
build your own on the plots of land for $250 per square meter.
But with increased popularity comes increased competition.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The real estate has been moving towards the east. And now we expect that the real estate market will move over to the other
side to Rocha.
DEFTERIOS: Rocha, the undeveloped county that looks set for a boost thanks to a new multimillion dollar infrastructure project. The hope is
the bridge will connect sun seekers to yet another Uruguyan playground.
John Defterios, One Square Meter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: You are watching CNN. And this is Connect the World with me, Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
Well, hours from now, American Michael Phelps gets a chance for revenge against Chad Le Clos in the men's 200 meter butterfly. The South
African swimmer beat Phelps in that even four years ago in London.
Well, CNN spoke with Le Clos about Phelps and what it means what it means to go up against the swimming legend.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAD LE CLOS, OLYMPIC SWOMMER: I've always believed that I was the best. Maybe necessarily when I wasn't the best, you know, I know that when
I get on that block, I look at whoever I'm racing. I don't care who you are, I believe that I can beat you.
My name is Chad Le Clos. I'm an Olympic swimmer from South Africa. I won the 200 meter butterfly Olympic gold medal at the London 2012 Olympic
Games. I'm a three times winner of the FINA world cup series.
Back in 2004 my dream was to swim like Michael Phelps. So when I raced him the finals it was actually crazy feeling, because when I touched
at the 150 I think I was 0.5 or 0.6 behind him. When I turned I actually looked at him in the water and I actually kind of thought I was him. That
sounds absolutely crazy, but I actually -- I saw myself as him coming past someone else.
You know, because you're such a huge inspiration to me growing up, you know, when I beat him by 0.05 of a second, obviously life changing for me,
but it was just such a huge moment for South Africa. I mean obviously to represent your country is a huge honor, but to beat Michael Phelps in the
Olympics, I mean that was, you know, that was amazing.
I've always tried to swim for my family. You know, I have so much support and so many people are proud of me back home. And I wouldn't say
I'm letting them down if I don't achieve, but you know, you feel that when you're swimming.
I think sports is about that. You know, it's not really self-glory, really. You know, yes, it is. You see me on the thing, but behind the
scenes I have so many people to thank for my success. When you're swimming for something greater than you it helps you achieve.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, when watching these swimmers battle it out for gold, every wonder how we are getting those amazing underwater images?
Well, the answer is robots. Photographers mount these devices onto the pool floor capturing the breathtaking shots.
Well, for more on this story and others our team are working on throughout the day, head to our facebook page, that's
Facebook.com/CNNconnect.
Well, not every women's beach volleyball team wears bathing suits to the Olympics. Two Egyptian players wore long-sleeved shirts and black
pants as they took to the beach in Rio. One of them wore a Hijab, a Muslim head cover.
This is the first women's volleyball team from Egypt to compete at the Olympics. The International Volleyball Federation loosened its regulations
for the 2012 London games to allow full sleeves and pants.
Good to see that.
In today's Parting Shots, we want to bring you the story of another woman breaking social taboos by competing in Islamic gear. Her name is
Zahra Lari and she is the United Arab Emirtat's first competitive figure skater. Zahra has her eyes set on the Olympics, the winter ones, of
course.
Jon Jensen reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JON JENSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a sport that requires grace, strength, and for Emirati Zara Lahri (ph), a really cold place to practice.
ZAHRA LARI, FIGURE SKATER: The most important thing in the UAE is the heat outside. And then I come in the rink and like that's like the best
part of it.
JENSEN: Zahra is the first competitive figure skater from the UAE.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A twist of fate spun her world around.
JENSEN: She was inspired to start after watching this movie 10 years ago at age 11.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just landed a triple.
LARI: They made it look so easy, like in three weeks she already had all her triples. So, I was like, oh, that's pretty easy.
JENSEN: Her first triple jump wasn't that easy. But she trains six days a week in between university studies.
LARI: (inaudible) but what do you do at the beginning?
JENSEN; And even though it is a new sport here, Zahra's coach has her sights set on the next winter Olympics.
EMILIA AHSAN, ZAHRA'S COACH: Here there is no one else to look up to, to pull up to. It is amazing what she has been able to produce.
JENSEN: Off the ice, not everyone is rooting for Zahra. Some in this conservative region view figure skating as form of dance, not sport. And
even though she wears the hijab, others say her tight clothing goes against the culture.
ROQUIYA COCHRAN, ZAHRA'S MOTHER: People say what is she doing? Why are you allowing your daughter to be like that? How is she dressed?
JENSEN: Zahra ignores it, supported by family, friends, and the government and has no plans to quit.
LARI: I think a lot of women are changing and they don't want to just sit at home and like do
nothing, they want to be involved in sports. So I mean that's a huge change in the UAE.
JENSEN: Zahra is keeping her focus on the ice and how to really land that triple.
Jon Jensen, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Great story there.
I'm Lynda Kinkade. That was Connect the World. Thanks so much for joining me. I'll be back tomorrow.
END
